


Laid Bare

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Series: OQPromptParty 2017 [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene, Missing Year (Once Upon a Time), Secret Getaway, Skinny Dipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-19 07:03:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11892531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: Sometimes it's not a matter of how things come to be, just that they do.  At least, this is what Regina keeps telling herself when confronted with situations she finds herself caught up in with the roguish thief.  It would certainly go a long way toward explaining her current predicament.





	Laid Bare

**Author's Note:**

> Date Written: 23 August 2017  
> Word Count: 2545  
> Written for: [](http://oqpromptparty.tumblr.com)[](http://oqpromptparty.tumblr.com)**oqpromptparty** 2017 - Day 3  
>  Prompts: 28 & 33  
> Summary: Sometimes it's not a matter of how things come to be, just that they do. At least, this is what Regina keeps telling herself when confronted with situations she finds herself caught up in with the roguish thief. It would certainly go a long way toward explaining her current predicament.  
> Spoilers: Takes place during the missing year of S3, earlyish into their time back in the Enchanted Forest, definitely early in the relationship. Everything up to that point is fair game about these characters.  
> Warnings: No standard warnings apply.  
> Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Doggie Duo  
> Link to: <http://bdkk.shatterstorm.net/>  
> Archive: ShatterStorm Productions & AO3 only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…  
> Feedback: Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: "Once Upon a Time," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Kitsis/Horowitz, and ABC Studios. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Once Upon a Time," ABC, or any representatives of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Notes: Well, I'd planned on adding something else into this fic, but it ended up not needing it at all. Who knew that Regina and Robin would get so invested in a little time away in a special sort of secret hideaway? Or that Regina would forget just how cold the water is…
> 
> Prompts used:  
> 28\. It’s cold and OQ share a blanket
> 
> 33\. OQ go skinny dipping in the water and when they come out someone stole their clothes.
> 
> Dedication: My muses, as usual…
> 
> Beta: Not at the moment, but I'm down for concrit if you catch something I missed!

Sometimes it's not a matter of how things come to be, just that they do. At least, this is what Regina keeps telling herself when confronted with situations she finds herself caught up in with the roguish thief. It would certainly go a long way toward explaining her current predicament.

The river running through the northwestern corner of her castle's lands has always boasted one of the prettiest waterfalls in all of the Enchanted Forest. It was a big part of the reason she chose this particular castle of Leopold's as her stronghold. That, and its relatively impenetrable defenses. The one concession she'll give to Leopold's first wife is her love of this particular castle, prompting him to fortify it in every way possible.

But now is not the time to be thinking of that damned man and his first wife. Not when she's huddled into Robin's side, shivering and near tears with the thought of having to trek back to the castle in their current state of undress.

"Let me stoke the fire again, milady," Robin murmurs against her hair. "You're shivering too much."

She hates the idea of losing his solid warmth, even for the promise of greater warm via the fire, but she nods anyway. The second he leans away from her, she regrets her decision, but says nothing for a long moment or two, letting herself get lost in the play of muscle on his back and arms as he coaxes a larger blaze from their meager fire. It doesn't take much for her mind to play back to how she wound up here…

~~*~~ *2 hours earlier* ~~*~~

"Where are you taking me, Regina?"

She chuckles and puts an extra sway to her hips as she continues walking along the barely visible path. "Are you saying you don't like adventure, thief?"

"Not at all, _Your Majesty_ ," he retorts, emphasizing the title he knows she hates. "I just don't like being caught unawares because I don't know the terrain. You didn't even let me bring my bow for protection."

"Because we're on my lands, which are protected by powerful magic and practically impenetrable defenses. And I have no desire to help you take down a stag and drag it back to the castle either. I'm a queen and a bit more refined." The instant the words leave her mouth, she tastes ash at the lie of the title. She never wants to be a queen again.

"Well, at least I have my dagger on me."

She rolls her eyes and stops to turn and face him, reaching into her left boot to pull out a finely wrought blade, then flicks her wrist to let the stiletto shoot out from her sleeve into her palm. "Did you think I came unprepared, Robin? How stupid do you think I am?"

"I never said--"

"Why can't you just accept that I know my lands and let me take you somewhere special to me for once without making it into some sort of macho contest for control and domination?"

A part of her regrets the words at the quicksilver flash of hurt in his expressive blue eyes. This wasn't her intention in bringing him to this particular location. She wants to apologize for that, but the stubborn set of his jaw pokes at her own need to control her destiny. Both blades instantly go back into their hiding spots as she stares him down.

"You are an insufferably stubborn woman!" he bellows. "Why is it so difficult for you to understand that I want to keep you safe?"

"You want to wrap me in silks and coddle me! I don't want that!" She stares at him, chest heaving with the rage at someone else treating her like a fragile porcelain doll because of her sex. "I don't _need_ that! I am either reviled or coddled. Why can there be no middle ground where I am just _Regina_?"

She starts to lift her hand to poof them back to the castle and end this farce of an idea before it gets any worse, but Robin grabs for her wrist with a soft, "Regina, wait!" When she doesn't make another move, he lets out a heavy breath and smiles hesitantly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you need protecting. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"But you said you wanted to keep me safe." She wants to remain angry with him, but there's a thrum of energy pulsing through her veins, starting from the point where his hand wraps around her wrist.

"Not because you can't protect yourself," he says softly, stepping closer into her personal space. "I know you can, but I just-- I don't know that I'd able to live with myself if something did happen to you and I couldn't stop it."

The sincerity in his tone freezes the fire still raging in her, and she tilts her head to the side to study his face. "Why me?" she finally asks, tone far meeker than she would prefer.

"I don't understand?"

"What's so special about me that you feel so protective?"

He smiles then and brushes his lips across the center of her palm. "You have a heart that deserves protecting. I know you hide behind the mask of magic and power, but I prefer the woman to the disguise. The way you are so patient with my son is beyond description. How can I do anything _but_ try to protect what you yourself strive so to protect?"

Regina smiles and shifts to clasp his hand in hers, lacing their fingers as she tugs lightly. "Come on. Let me show you where we're bound. We're nearly there as it is." They walk silently for a few moments, Robin adjusting his stride to accommodate her shorter one, the sounds of the forest around them soothing to both of them. "I'm sorry," she finally says, glancing up at him from the corner of her eye. "I shouldn't have gotten so defensive so readily."

The corner of his mouth curls up and she finds herself drawn to the dimple forming. "Apology accepted. And I offer my own apology for not trusting you to know where you're going. Perhaps I'm too used to being in charge with my men."

"Accepted and understood." She squeezes his hand again. "How are they all adjusting to life within castle and keep? I hope you all know that the woods surrounding the castle are available to you. I can point out the borders of my lands if you need them."

"It's a slow adjustment, but we're working on it. The men certainly don't complain about stone walls when it's storming outside."

They both laugh at that and turn around a little bend in the path. Regina smiles, already hearing signs of how close they are to their destination. Her feet positively _itch_ with the desire to shed her boots and soak them in the cool water. Another furtive glance at Robin has her wondering if he'll do the same.

"We must be close to the river again," he says then. "I can hear running water nearby."

"It's not that far now." Regina can hear the eagerness in her own voice, briefly wonders what he must think of that. "We'll start to turn around another little bend in a few yards, then you'll see it." And then her excitement gets the better of her and she tugs at his hand. "Come on!" She tries to run toward their destination, grateful when he willingly follows behind her, their hands still connected.

"Oh my!"

The words are barely spoken, more breathed with the reverence that Regina always feels upon first laying eyes upon this sight. The river is to their left, culminating in front of them in a pool fed by a waterfall at least twenty feet in height. The rest of the river disappears north of it, up into the mountains that hold its source. On either side of the pool is a small sandy area, surrounded by lush greenery. A gentle breeze rustles through the leaves and vines, adding to the symphony of nature's making.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? I used to come here as often as I could, once I'd realized it existed. I brought Daddy here a few times, but mostly, I came by myself when I had the chance."

She starts to unlace their fingers, wanting to go to the large flat rock overhanging part of the pool. Sitting down, she makes short order of her boots, not realizing the tip of her tongue peeks out from behind broadly smiling lips. She glances up to see Robin watching her, frozen in place for a moment, then he blinks and shakes his head slightly before moving to sit next to her.

"You've never shared this with anyone but your father?"

Regina shakes her head shyly, glancing down at her feet. "No one else felt special enough to bring here." She coughs then, trying to clear the heart-shaped lump in her throat as she realizes what she's just admitted to this man. "I mean, Snow probably knows about it, but she was never here when I was." She turns and scoots closer to the ledge to let her feet dangle in the cold water.

Rustling noises sound behind her, but she doesn't look. Instead, she closes her eyes, leaning back on her hands to bask in the warm sunshine. Within a couple of moments, Robin settles next to her, hissing when his feet hit the water. She looks now to see him adopt the same pose she's in, and she smiles softly.

"Thank you," he murmurs, leaning over to press his lips lightly to her hair. "Thank you for sharing this personal and private place with me. I am honored beyond words, milady."

~~*~~

The sun is a bit lower in the sky, but still warm enough that she loses some of her propriety and suggests a wade in the shallows. He quirks a brow at her, but offers a saucy grin as he stands up and offers her his hand. When she's on her feet, Robin leans in to brush his lips across hers once, twice, and on the third pass, her hand curls around the back of his neck to pull him down for a deeper kiss. A soft moan escapes her lips as his hand moves from her hip to the curve of her ass, the other hand slipping beneath the hem of her top to rest in the small of her back. She can feel the evidence of his own enjoyment pressing through his trousers against her belly.

Regina indulges in the kiss a bit longer before leaning back and pulling her top over her head and onto the rock behind her, torso clad in only a thin, white camisole. Her leather trousers come next, delicate panties left behind. With a wry grin, she drops her trousers and moves the extra step or two to the edge before smoothly turning to dive into the water. When she surfaces, water sluicing down her body, she lets out a shriek of surprise and delight, then beckons him with a finger as he stares at her with jaw hanging. Somewhere in the rush of diving into the cold water and surfacing, she forgot just how thin and white her camisole is. And how perfectly see-through it becomes when wet.

"Regina?" Robin finally asks, voice cracking painfully on her name.

"Come on in. It's invigorating!"

Robin stumbles as he strips down to the Enchanted Forest's version of boxers -- what she wouldn't give to introduce him to the clothes of Storybrooke -- and kicks the pile of their clothing aside before braving the water by diving in. He also lets out a startled sound when he surfaces, but swims over to where Regina is treading water and steals a quick kiss.

"How aren't you freezing, Regina?"

"Y-You get used to it," she replies, a slight chatter to her teeth.

"I'd rather get used to you," is all Robin says as he pulls her close to nibble along her collarbone.

~~*~~ present ~~*~~

"--should get back to the castle before the sun sets. Don't you think so, Regina?"

"What?" She blinks owlishly at him, body beginning to warm up at the thought of coupling with him again, in or out of the water.

"Have you even heard a word I've said?"

Regina blushes hard and shakes her head. "S-Sorry. My mind wandered."

Robin returns to her side and pulls her into his lap, tugging the woolen blanket around both of them more tightly. She sighs at his warmth and snuggles into his strong chest, grateful that she even remembered the blanket she'd magically hidden here all those decades ago.

"Let's warm you up a bit more and see if we can get your magic started again. If not, we're going to have to walk back to the castle."

Regina frowns, still not sure why she can't access her magic. The only explanation she has is that the frigid water somehow short-circuited her magic. That, or the mind-blowing orgasm she had while trying to keep from drowning. Perhaps if they had their clothes, it would be different. But, no, those were all washed down the river after Robin accidentally kicked them into the water in his aroused haste to join her. She can now clearly see the clothes floating away in her mind's eye, but only in hindsight. The ragged cuff of his sleeve caught on one of the reeds was their only indication of what happened at the time.

"At least we have our boots and this blanket?" she asks, a healthy dose of sarcasm in her voice. That makes him laugh, and she can't help but join him. Once the laughter dies down, she stares up into his eyes, lost in the fathomless blue for a bit. "We should start back, Robin. The sun's only going to warm us for a couple hours more, but the air is already growing chilly."

Robin nods and leans in to kiss her sweetly. She surrenders to the kiss, body warming up slightly until her fingertips tingle. Not enough to use her magic yet, but enough to get her to her feet and putting her boots on again. She startles slightly when Robin settles the blanket around her shoulders.

"You wear this while we walk. When your magic's working again, you can return it."

Regina grins at him. "Or we can bring it back on a return trip? Perhaps make a day of it with Roland?"

The way his face lights up at her inclusion of his son warms her even further. "Yes, Regina, I would like to do that. Roland will love this!" He glances back at the waterfall wistfully, and she understands his reluctance to leave. "But only when it's warmer, yes?"

"Of course."

"Then it's a plan." He holds out his hand to her, letting her lace their fingers together again. "Come along, milady. It's time for me to get you home and into a warm bath and a warmer bed."

"Only if you'll join me, thief." The unspoken _of my heart_ burns on her tongue, but she's still too skittish to say it.

"I thought you'd never ask."


End file.
